1. Field
The present specification relates generally to fritted cover sheets for sealing glass packages and, more particularly, to methods of forming fritted cover sheets and glass packages comprising the same.
2. Technical Background
U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,776 discloses a method for frit sealing a glass package using a radiation-absorbing glass frit. As generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,776, a glass frit is deposited in a closed line (typically in the shape of a picture frame) on a first glass substrate and heated to pre-sinter the frit. The first glass substrate is then placed overtop a second glass substrate with the frit disposed between the first and second substrates. A laser beam is subsequently traversed over the frit (typically through one or both of the substrates) to heat and melt the frit, creating a hermetic seal between the substrates.
One use for such a glass package is in the manufacture of organic light emitting diode (OLED) display devices. An exemplary OLED display device comprises a glass substrate on which is deposited a first electrode material, one or more layers of organic electroluminescent material, and a second electrode material. One characteristic of the organic electroluminescent material is its susceptibility to both moisture and oxidation thus necessitating that the organic electroluminescent material be hermetically sealed between two glass substrates to prevent degradation of the electroluminescent material.
As OLED display devices are incorporated into a wider array of commercial products, the ability to produce OLED display devices which are suitably sealed to prevent long-term degradation of the electroluminescent material has become increasingly important as degradation of the electroluminescent material often destroys the functionality of the commercial product in which the OLED device is incorporated.